LOVE PARK, Ill. – The Marian Sabres swept Rockford 7-3 and 14-10 and clinched a share of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference baseball regular season championship Friday evening at Aviators Stadium.

"I'm just speechless right now," Marian head coach Jason Bartelt said. "We played two hard fought games and I'm proud of how we competed in this series and throughout the season."

With the sweep over the Regents (18-22, 7-13 NACC) the Sabres completed the conference portion of their schedule and ended on a 13-game NACC win streak. Bartelt is quick to provide credit to the upperclassmen and coaching staff for the success.

"The leadership the upperclassmen brings to this team is important. They've been in the program for three to five years and worked so hard to be successful," Bartelt said. "This couldn't have been done without the hard work of the coaching staff. Burgie (Bryan Burgert), Jordan (Baitinger), Chad (Langley) and Jeremy (Bartelt) have been great to work with this season and their finger prints are all over this too."

In the series opener it was a late offensive surge that propelled the Sabres to the win.

After six-complete innings the game was tied at 3-3 and the Sabres got to work in the top half of the seventh.

Jordan DeBoer reached on a fielder's choice to score Ty Gellinger from third base and Marian led 4-3.

In the top of the eighth Tony Grannis doubled down the left field line to score two runs and the Sabres added an insurance run in the top of the ninth to close out the win.

Austin Hansen (2-2) earned the win for Marian. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound left-hander tossed three and one third innings in relief and scattered three hits and allowed no runs and no walks and struck out two batters.

Grannis batted 4-for-6 with two RBIs and a pair of runs scored. Adam Ryan finished 3-for-5 with an RBI and DeBoer went 2-for-5 and added two RBIs from the plate.

In the nightcap it was the offense that carried the Sabres.

Tied at 2-2 to start the top of the second, Tyler Thompson jumpstarted a five-run inning. Thompson reached on a fielder's choice to score a run and Grannis singled up the middle to add a run. Marian then recorded back-to-back-to-back RBI singles and the Sabres led 7-2.

Marian added four runs in the top of the sixth and led 12-2 after six-complete innings. Rockford used a six-run seventh to come within two at 12-10, however, the Sabres added two runs late and DeBoer (3-1) pitched the final two and two third innings to close out the win.

Ryan batted 2-for-4 with three RBIs and TJ McCoy, DeBoer, Gellinger and Thompson each added a pair of RBIs for the Sabres.

Marian (22-17, 17-3 NACC) awaits the conclusion of the Concordia Chicago and Benedictine series that's to be played Saturday, May 2. The Sabres need Benedictine to win at least one of the games to clinch the NACC regular season championship outright and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. If the Cougars win both games the programs will be co-conference champions.

Marian concludes its regular season schedule Monday, May 4th against Maranatha Baptist at Herr-Baker Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.